1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Monascus anka 732Y3 (KCCM 10014) induced from Monascus anka ATCC 16360 (=IFO 4478, KFCC 118 32) More particularly, the present invention is concerned with Monascus anka 732Y3 (KCCM 10014), which was induced from Monascus anka ATCC 16360 (=IFO 4478, KFCC 11832) by ultraviolet light irradiation and produces higher amounts of pigments than Monascus anka ATCC 16360.
2. Description of the Related Art
Increasing doubts about the health safety of many synthetic pigments to health has brought about a deep interest in of using natural colors in place of them. In fact, along with the trend of avoiding the usage of artificial food additives in the food industry, every effort to get safe natural pigments to take the place of artificial dyestuffs has been made although the latter have been used title to relatively cheap prices.
Recently, a great portion of the synthetic pigments have not been allowed to be used in food processes in the developed countries like America and Japan. Even the amounts of the allowed synthetic pigments that can be added to foods are restricted. Therefore, it must be recognized that it can never be too soon to find suitable natural pigments and to apply them to food processes. As natural sources for pigments, animals, plants, and microorganisms can all be taken into consideration. In the connection, the manufacture of natural pigments from animals or plants is affected by the limited amounts of the pigments, by their costs, and by the conditons of cultivation. The production of pigments by microbial processes, however, seems to hold the answer to these problems.
Historically, molds belonging to the genus Monascus have been used in the fermentative production of red wine from steamed hulled-rice and red soybean cheese in countries like China, Japan, and Indonesia. Nowadays, studies concerning the applications of pigments to food processes are actively underway in many countries.
Though the taxonomy of Monascus fungi still has much to be discussed, the following classification is generally accepted: Actinomycetes(class)-Plectomycetes(sub-class)-Aspergillaceae(family)-Monas cus (genus). Hawksworth and Pitt proposed a new method for isolation and classification of Monascus sp., and classified genus Monascus into three species of Monascus pilosus K. Sato ex. D. Hawksw. & Pitt sp. nov., Monascus purpureus Went, and Monascus rubber van Tieghem. On the other hand, a few scientists have renamed a part of Monascus purpureus Went as Monascus anka.
The Monascus sp. is homothallic, and its life cycle is composed of asexual propagation accompanied by one-celled conidia and sexual propagation by ascospores in asci which fog in cleistothecia which develop when antheridia as male organs mate with ascogonia as female organs. According to Su's report, Monascus pigments seem to be produced more when conidia are inhibited[Y.C.Su, Kor, J. Appl. Microbiol, Bieng., 11,325, (1983)]. Therefore, a Monascus sp. propagating sexually more often than asexually is probably effective for the hyper-production of Monascus pigments. But the factor controlling sexual and asexual propagations have not yet been discovered, nor has the role of the pigments.
The pigments produced by Monascus sp. are composed of six chemicals: rubropunctatin(C.sub.21 H.sub.26 O.sub.5 -red color), monascorubrin(C.sub.23 H.sub.26 O.sub.5 -red color), monascin (C.sub.21 H.sub.26 O.sub.5 -yellow color), ankaflavin (C.sub.23 H.sub.30 O.sub.5 -yellow color), rubropunctamine (C.sub.21 H.sub.23 NO.sub.4 -purple color), and monascorubramine(C.sub.23 H.sub.30 NO.sub.4 -purple color).
Tadao Hiroi's test made it certain that none of aflatoxin B.sub.1, B.sub.2, G.sub.1, and G.sub.2 is produced by Monascus sp. His Amese test also represented that Monascus pigments do not work as carcinogens. Furthermore, the pigments did no harm to the animals such as rats that were fed on them[T. Hiroi, New Food Industry, 30, 1, (1988)]. As the Monascus pigments have proved to be safe to health, many researchers have begun to study the production of high amounts of them.
The inventors of the present invention, making efforts to develop a new Monascus strains capable of producing high amount of the pigments, invented Monascus anka 732Y3 (KCCM 100141 by irradiation of ultra-violet light upon Monascus anka ATCC 16360.